Raspberry plant named `Gloria`

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of red raspberry plant named &#39;Gloria&#39;, botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The new cultivar is distinguished from other red fruited cultivars by its fruit of bright color, excellent fruit firmness, its very early primocane crop, and high primocane and floricane crop yield.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar `Gloria`, was developed from the hybridization of the selection `H374-2` (an unpatented variety) as the seed plant with the selection `Summit` (an unpatented variety) as the pollen plant. The parents were crossed in the Fall of 1992, whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Watsonville, Calif. in 1992. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in July 1993 for its early primocane crop and firm, attractive fruit. The new cultivar was grown and asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division, and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz County, Calif., and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a new and distinct red raspberry plant named `Gloria`. The cultivar is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The `Gloria` cultivar produces a primocane crop which begins in late June and continues until late October. The floricane crop begins in mid May and continues to mid July. This cultivar is distinguished by its very firm, bright fruit and its short cycle from planting to harvest of the primocane crop, its early primocane crop, and high primocane and floricane copy yield.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the primocane fruit, leaves and shoot of the new variety, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a primocane mature leaf and fruit.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of primocane shoot and leaf.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar, `Gloria`, is based upon observations taken of plants and fruit grown in Watsonville, Calif. between 1994 and 1997, and is believed to aply to plants of the `Gloria` cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

Throughtout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signifying that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter and followed by an alphanumeric code designating the color according to the R.H.S. Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions.

Tables 1 and 2 provide information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new cultivar `Gloria` compared with characteristics of the unpatented raspberry cultivars `Hertiage`, `Summit` and `Amity`. The cultivar closest to `Gloria` is `Summit` in fruit characteristics and production cycles. Observations of the cultivars were made under similar conditions.

The new variety is distinguished from other red raspberry cultivars by its fruit of bright color, excellent fruit firmness and its very early primocane crop.

The fruit color of `Gloria` is a medium bright red with little post harvest color change. Fruit of `Gloria` is very firm at harvest.

`Gloria` is characterized by a short cycle of days from planting to harvest. The primocane harvest begins in late June which is earlier compared to other varieties that begin primocane harvest in mid to late July. `Gloria` is also characterized by high primocane and floricane crop yields compared to `Amity` and `Heritage`.

`Gloria` is distinguished from its pollen parent, `Summit`, by having an earlier and longer primocane fruiting period, better flavor, and higher yields. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent, `H374-2`, by having firmer fruit and an earlier primocane fruiting cycle.

ISOZYME CHARACTERISTICS

In addition to the morphological description above, the new `Gloria` cultivar has been analyzed to obtain an indication of its genetic makeup to provide further means for identifying the new variety and distinguishing it from some other somewhat similar and/or related raspberry varieties. Specifically, leaf samples of `Gloria` and the unpatented varieties of `Summit` and `Heritage` were analyzed by electrophoresis according to the procedures of J.C. Cousineau and D.J. Donnelly, "Use of isozyme analysis to characterize raspberry cultivars and detect cultivar mislabeling", Hort Science 27:1023-1025 (992). The results of the electrophoretic analysis for the cultivars are presented in Table 3, with the letters representing the banding patterns as described in the above-identified article.

DISEASE AND STRESS RESISTANCE

The cultivar is moderately susceptible to late leaf rust. Resistance is unknown to powdery mildew and root rots. Cold tolerance of the new cultivar has not been established. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is average in comparisons over many selections and varieties.

                  TABLE 1     ______________________________________     PLANT CHARACTERISITCS OF `GLORIA`            Gloria  Heritage   Summit   Amity     ______________________________________     General     Plant size              medium    large     small-  medium                                  medium     Growth habit              erect     erect     semi-   erect                                  erect     Productivity              high      medium    high    low-                                          medium     Self-    self-      self-    self-   self-     fruitfulness               fruitful fruitful  fruitful                                          fruitful     Primocane     fruiting     percent of              ˜50-70                        ˜5-20                                  ˜40-50                                          ˜20-35     cane flowering     as primocane     percent of              ˜50-60                        ˜40-60                                  ˜50-70                                          ˜40-50     total yield     Number of              many      medium    few     many     young shoots     Primocanes     number fruiting              10-15     2-14      9-15    6-14     laterals/cane              (mean 13) (mean 8)  (mean 12)                                          (mean 10)     number of              2-4       3-5       2-7     1-6     canes/crown              (mean 3)  (mean 4)  (mean 3)                                          (mean 3)     young shoot              weak      medium    medium  medium     pigmentation              intensity intensity intensity                                          intensity              red       red        red     red     length (cm)              173-222   182-230   137-212 135-208              (mean 197)                        (mean 208)                                  (mean 164)                                          (mean 168)     diameter (end     of 1st year)     cane base              0.8-1.3   0.9-1.4   0.8-1.3 0.8-1.5     (cm)     (mean 1.1)                        (mean 1.2)                                  (mean 1.1)                                          (mean 1.1)     central 1/3 of              0.7-1.1   0.8-1.1   0.7-1.0 0.6-1.0     cane (cm)              (mean 0.9)                        (mean 1.0)                                  (mean 0.8)                                          (mean 0.8)     time of shoot              medium    very late late    medium     emergence     prickles     pigmentation              green-    green-    brownish                                          purple              brownish  brownish  purple-              green     green     purple     density on              dense     dense     sparse  sparse     young shoots     attitude of tip              downward       downward                                       downward                                               horizontal     size     medium    medium    medium  small     texture  soft      rigid     heavy   heavy     presence and              regularly regularly regularly                                          regularly     distribution on              distributed                        distributed                                  distributed                                          distributed     petioles     pubescence on              strong    absent or medium  medium     canes              very weak     internodal     distance (cm)     (at central 1/3              3.0-6.0   3.0-6.0   3.2-7.5 3.0-6.5     of cane) (mean 4.5)                        (mean 4.7)                                  (mean 4.8)                                          (mean 5.0)     lenticels              not visible                        not visible                                  not visible                                          not visible     Floricanes     number   11-17     10-14     10-15   12-19     nodes/lateral     branch     number of              1-2       1-4       2-6     1-2     flowers/node     Leaves     Arrangement              compound  compound   compound                                           compound     Relief between              strong    very weak medium  medium     veins     Cross section              flat      concave   flat    concave-                                          flat     Leaflet number              3-5       3-5       usually 5                                          usually 3     Terminal      leaflet     length (cm)              12.8      14.6      12.4    13.7     width (cm)              7.8       7.8       7.2     12.1     shape    ovate     ovate     ovate   lobed     tip      acuminate acuminate acuminate                                          acuminate     base     round-    acute     rounded cordate              cordate     margin   doubly    doubly    doubly  doubly              serrate   serrate   serrate serrate     Lateral leaflets     (basal pair)     overlap  overlapping                        free      overlapping                                          overlapping     orientation              opposite  opposite  opposite                                          opposite     shape    oblique   oblique   ovate-  ovate-                                  lobed   lobed     tip      acuminate acuminate acuminate                                          acuminate     base     oblique   oblique   oblique-                                            oblique                                  rounded     margin   doubly    doubly    doubly  doubly              serrate   serrate   serrate serrate     length (cm)              11.4      14.7      11.6    11.7     width (cm)              7.8       8.6       7.7     8.2     Rachis length              0.8-2.3   0.8-2.2   0.5-1.8 2.4-3.9     between ter-              (mean 1.4)                        (mean 1.5)                                  (mean 1.2)                                          (mean 3.0)     minal leaflet     and adjacent     lateral     leaflets (cm)     Glossiness              medium     medium   medium  dull     Color     face     medium    medium    medium  medium              147A      137A, 139A                                  137A    147A     underside              138B      148C, 191B                                  191B    191A     Petiole     length (cm)              4.9-7.8   6.6-8.5   5.8-8.9 4.0-8.2              (mean 6.3)                        (mean 7.6)                                  (mean 7.4)                                          (mean 6.0)     pigmentation of              unpigmented                        lightly   lightly lightly     upper surface     pigmentation              unpigmented                         unpigmented                                   lightly                                          unpigmented     underside     Petiolule length              very short                        very short                                  short   very short     Stipule  erect-    erect     erect-  erect-     orientation              relfexed            clasping                                          clasping     Flowers     Flower color              white     white     white   white     Flowering     period     primocane              early June-                        mid June- early June-                                          early June-              mid       early     mid     early              September October   September                                          October     floricane              early April-                        early April-                                  early April-                                          early to              mid June  early June                                  early June                                          mid March-                                          early June     Flower size              large     small     medium  large     Petal     length (cm)              0.8-1.0   0.7-0.8   0.7-0.9 0.7-1.0     width (cm)              0.3-0.4   0.3       0.3-0.4 0.3-0.5     Pedicel     coloration              present,  present,  present,                                          present,              medium    strong    strong  medium              intensity intensity intensity                                          intensity              red       red       red     red     length   medium    medium    medium  long     Productivity     Primocane              ˜8.8 t/acre                        ˜5.1 t/acre                                  ˜7.3 t/acre                                          ˜6.4 t/acre     Floricane              ˜6.8 t/acre                        ˜4.1 t/acre                                  ˜2.9 t/acre                                          ˜5.1 t/acre     ______________________________________

                  TABLE 2     ______________________________________     FRUIT CHARACTERISITCS OF `GLORIA`     Fruit    Gloria    Heritage   Summit Amity     ______________________________________     Harvest season     primocane              late June-                        late July-                                  mid July-                                          mid July-              late      mid       late    mid              October   November  October November     floricane              mid May-  mid May-  mid May-                                          late April-              mid July  mid July  mid July                                          mid July     Color    Medium Red                         Medium Red                                   Medium Red                                           Medium Red     immature 41B       53A       46A     46A     maturing 47A, 47B  45A, 46D  45A     47A     mature   46A       44C       42B     42B     Glossiness              strong    medium    medium  medium     Dimensions     weight (g/fruit)     primocane              3.0-3.7   2.7-2.9   2.5-3.3 2.7-3.7              (mean 3.3)                        (mean 2.8)                                  (mean 2.8)                                          (mean 3.2)     floricane              2.7-3.2   2.3-2.7   2.5-2.8 3.0-3.4              (mean 3.0)                        (mean 2.6)                                  (mean 2.6)                                          (mean 3.2)     length (primo-              17.5-24.6 --        17.5-25.4                                          17.5-22.2     cane) (mm)              (mean 21.1)         (mean 20.2)                                          (mean 20.1)     width (primo-              18.3-23.8 --        18.3-23.0                                          15.9-23.0     cane) (mm)              (mean 21.0)         (mean 20.4)                                          (mean 20.2)     Soluble solids              9.5       --        9.4     9.7     (%)     Titratable               12.7     --        14.5    11.2     acidity     (% as citric     acid)     Seeds     weight (mg)              1.5       --        1.8     1.5     Number   49-127    45-102    73-119  62-108     druplets/fruit              (mean 102)                        (mean 72) (mean 98)                                          (mean 88)     Firmness firm      firm      firm    firm     Yield    high      medium    high    medium     ______________________________________

                  TABLE 3     ______________________________________     ISOZYME BANDING PATTERNS OF `GLORIA` COMPARED     WITH `HERITAGE` AND `SUMMIT`     Isozyme and Pattern     Cultivar   PGI          MDH    PGM     ______________________________________     Gloria     D            C      A     Heritage   A            D      C     Summit     A            C      A     ______________________________________ 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinctive cultivar of raspberry plant, as illustrated and described herein. 